How To Check If Your Shimano Cranks Are Subject For Recall | Cycling Weekly
Shimano has announced the recall of over 2.8 million chainsets globally. The reason behind this recall is because there is a defect which can cause the bonded parts of the crank arms to separate and cause a catastrophic failure. In this video, Sam Gupta explains how to check your crank arms for potential signs of damage.
This is not an alternative course of action to the recall, if you have an affected crank, then take it to your local Shimano dealer. However, it's important to keep an eye on your chainset if it is affected incase a problem develops later down the line. If you are ever concerned, then take your bike to your local Shimano dealer.
This is not an alternative course of action to the recall, if you have an affected crank, then take it to your local Shimano dealer. However, it's important to keep an eye on your chainset if it is affected incase a problem develops later down the line. If you are ever concerned, then take your bike to your local Shimano dealer.
Transcript
00:00 Shimano recently recalled over 2.8 million chainsets. In North America, there is a stop
00:06 ride notice in place. In other parts of the world, it's just a recall for inspection.
00:11 The advice I'm going to give you today is by no means an alternative course of action
00:15 to the recall itself. If you have an affected crank, you should absolutely get this seen to
00:21 by your local Shimano dealer, who will conduct a far more thorough investigation.
00:27 However, since the advice in the rest of the world is that you can keep riding these cranks
00:31 if deemed to be safe by your local Shimano dealer, I believe that we should all be armed
00:36 with a little bit more knowledge on what to look out for. Because the cranks that did fail,
00:41 didn't fail on the first ride. So, playing closer attention to them for the rest of your ownership
00:46 will be very smart to do. Do bear in mind that some defects may develop which my method of
00:52 checking may not spot. Of course, if you're unsure, then get them seen to by your local Shimano dealer.
00:59 The first thing to do is check the code on your crank to see if it matches up to those
01:05 that have been recalled. Remember, it's only the Ultegra 6800 and 8000 and Dura-Ace 9000 and 9100
01:14 series that have been recalled so far. And on screen, you can see all of the affected codes.
01:20 You can find the code right here on the inside of both crank arms. It's worth checking both arms
01:25 just in case they have different codes on them. Like I said at the start, if your chainset is
01:31 subject to the recall, for those in North America, do not ride your cranks as the recall does go
01:36 along with a stop ride notice. If you're in the rest of the world, then ride with caution. This
01:43 is the information provided by Shimano. So, whether you think it makes any sense is up to you, but
01:49 that is what it is. Next, clean your cranks. Carefully remove the chain, spritz over with
01:55 your cleaning fluid of choice so that you can get a really good look at your cranks. And this will
02:00 also help you feel for any imperfections. Once clean, first check the right-hand crank arm around
02:06 the bolt circle, specifically these joints here. You want to be looking for any issues such as any
02:12 cracking or steps, or better put, any sign that may indicate that the crank arms and chain rings
02:19 are coming apart. From there, look further down the right-hand crank arm, especially along this
02:25 ridge on the inside of the arm. Feel the arms to see if you can spot any signs of cracking or
02:30 splitting. Be careful, as if there is a crack or any splitting, the metal could be sharp. So,
02:36 be wary of not causing yourself any harm. Next, move over to the left-hand crank arm. Again,
02:43 look along the inside edge for the exact same signs of damage. A key area to inspect on the
02:49 non-drive side is at the top of the arms, where the crank bolts onto the spindle. Inspect the
02:55 areas around the bolt holes on both sides, and also on this inside edge. After that, look over
03:02 the entirety of the chain set for any other signs of damage, corrosion, splitting, steps, or cracking.
03:09 Bike shops who are conducting inspections will have a more rigorous inspection process,
03:14 as they're going to be removing the entire chain set, and then removing the chain rings themselves,
03:19 to get a good look at every angle of the cranks. As I said at the start, if you have an affected
03:25 chain set, then take it to your local Shimano dealer. But, if you are to continue to ride
03:31 your cranks, then just keep a really good eye on them.
03:36 [Music]